UPDATE | Lincoln County shooting suspect found not guilty

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Earlier this month, the defendant in this case, Samuel Bradford Gray, was gound not guilty in the shooting death of Derrick Brandon Smith.

Friday, Dec. 30, 2016

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- A man accused of shooting and killing another man at a party in Lincolnton has been arrested, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Samuel Bradford Gray, 21, was arrested on a murder charge. A GBI release states authorities were called to a shooting on Fleming Lake Court around 12:20 a.m. on Friday.

Derrick Brandon Smith, 30, was found with a gunshot wound and later died at Doctors Hospital. The GBI said a preliminary investigation revealed Gray and Smith got into a fight and Gray allegedly shot Smith.

Smith’s body will be transported to the GBI Crime Lab in Decatur where an autopsy will be performed at a later time.

Anyone with information pertaining to this investigation is asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 706-359-4118 or GBI Region 7 Office at 706-595-2575.

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- The victim in a deadly overnight shooting in Lincoln County has been identified.

Lincoln County Coroner's Office said Brandon Smith, 30, of Lincolnton was shot in an area known as Serenity Pointe, an undeveloped neighborhood off of Nethania Farm Road near Lincolnton.

Smith was rushed to Doctors Hospital where Coroner Paul Reviere pronounced him dead. He will be transported to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy as early as today.

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- One man is dead after an overnight shooting in Lincoln County.

The incident happened between 12:30 and 1 a.m. It happened in an area known as Serenity Pointe, an undeveloped neighborhood off of Nethania Farm Road near Lincolnton.

The victim, a white male, was rushed to Doctors Hospital where Coroner Paul Reviere pronounced him dead.

Lincoln County Coroner's Office cannot confirm the identity of the man at this time. The victim will be transported to the GBI crime lab for an autopsy as early as today.

According to Pat Morgan with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the GBI and Lincoln County Sheriff's Office are investigating.

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Lincoln County Sheriff's Office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation are investigating an overnight shooting.

Details are limited right now, but Lincoln County Sheriff Bruce Beggs said the shooting happened around midnight. We're hearing that the shooting may have happened near Maxim Road in Lincolnton.

Investigators are in the early stages of the investigation and can't release any details on if anyone was injured or if there are any suspects.

This is a developing story, stay tuned to News 12 NBC 26 for the latest.